Supporting casing for collapsible tube with means to extrude the tube contents



V. MECZELSK] SUPPORTING CASING FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE, WITH MEANS TO EXTRUDE THE TUBE CONTENTS Aug. 7, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 19, 1948 INVENTOR. Y/C TOR MECZELSKI 4 TTORNE Y.

g- 1951 v. MECZZELSKI SUPPORTING CASING FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE, WITH MEANS TO EXTRUDE THE TUBE CONTENTS Filed on. 19, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VEN TOR.

VICTOR MECZELS/f/ 4r ran/var.-

g- 1951 v. MECZELSKI 2,563,733

SUPPORTING CASING FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE, WITH MEANS TO EXTRUDE THE TUBE CONTENTS Filed Oct. 19, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 57 k 58 INVENTOR.

/ a Y w cT0/? MECZELSKI 1 7 1 76-,

A T'TORNE Y.

Patented Aug. 7, 1951 SUPPORTING CASING FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE WITH MEANS T EXTRUDE THE TUBE CONTENTS Victor Meczelski, New Britain, Conn., now by judicial change of name, Victor Mitchell Application October 19, 1948, Serial No. 55,265

3 Claims. 1 This invention relates to improvements in toilet kits of the type embodying a small cabinet or casing adapted to be mounted on the wall of a bath room and having therein means tosupport tooth brushes and a device to support a co1lapsible tube of tooth paste and to extrude a desired quantity of the tooth paste onto a selected tooth brush, as needed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a kit of the above kind embodyin a, cabinet of improved and simplified construction, whereby the tooth brushes may be supported in the cover parts for ready. access as the cover part are swung open, and whereby the tooth paste may be conveniently extruded onto a selected tooth brush, when the cabinet is opened.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved device to support a collapsible tube of tooth paste in an inverted position and to provide an easily operated manual mechanism to extrude the tooth paste from the tube.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an operating mechanism for tooth paste tubes which operates from a thrust of the tooth brush under the outlet and in position simultaneously to receive the tooth paste.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the kit in closed condition.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the kit in open condition.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the operating mechanism for extruding the tooth paste from the tube, taken on line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 .is a top plan View of said tube operating mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the jaws for gripping the outlet end of the tube.

Fig. 9is a top plan view, similar to Fig. '7, of a modified form of tube operating mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of the modified tube operating mechanism shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the modified tube operating mechanism, taken on line ll-H of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a front elevational view of another 2 modified form of a tube operating mechanism wherein the tooth brush, when located under the tube outlet and thrust inwardly against a member, effects the actuation of the mechanism.

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the tube operating mechanism shown in Fig. 12 and taken on line I3l3 thereof.

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of the tube operating mechanism shown in Fig. 12.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 8, the present kit includes a small cabinet composed of a flat back wall l5, a semi-circular main bottom wall 16, and a pair of similar substantially segmento-cylindrical hinged doors I! having repectively segmental top and bottom walls 18 and [9 which abut each other and the back wall IS, with the bottom door walls l9 disposed on the main bottom wall I 6, when the cabinet is closed. The edges of the bottom door walls 19 which abut when the doors are closed are provided with notches 2!], and a spring-projected pivoted catch 2|, mounted in the main bottom wall l6, enga es in these notches to hold the doors closed. Slidable in and projecting through the front of bottom wall I6 is a push rod 22 operable to release the catch 2|, the push rod being operatively connected at its rear end to the catch 2| and being projected forwardly by a spring 23 to normally project the catch. Each door I! is provided on the inside of its lower end portion with a trough 24 divided into compartments by partitions 25. Near the top, each door is provided on the inside with a deeper inverted trough 26 similarly divided by partitions 21. This provides means on the inside of each door for removably supporting a plurality of tooth brushes in a vertical position. In use, each tooth brush has its handle inserted. into a compartment of the deep upper trough 26 until the head of the brush is disposed above an aligned compartment of the shallow lower trough 24 on the same door, whereupon the brush is lowered into the latter trough with the handle still engaged in the first trough as shown in Fig. 2. In this way, the brush is held in place for ready removal by a reversal of the operation described. The doors !1 have suitable hinges 28 at the top and spring hinges 28 at the bottom which act to swing the doors open when unlatched.

Mounted centrally on the inner or front side .of the back wall I5 is a tube operating mechanism 29 to support a tube of tooth paste 3!] in an inverted position and to extrude desired quantities of the tooth paste from the tube onto the head of a selected tooth brush 30', as needed. This mechanism 29 is shown as including a guide mem her, 3| formed of a vertical elongated strip of metal secured on the wall !5 and. having its longitudinal edges offset forwardly and bent to provide guide flanges 32. Verticall slidable on the guide member 3| is the mechanism 29 including a U- shaped roller mount 33 centrally fixed to a slide 34 having return. bent edges 35 which receive the guide flanges 32 of member 31. Journalled'in' the sides or legs of mount 33 are the shafts of a pair of extruding rollers 36 and 3! which are adapted to frictionally receivethe; closed endrof tube 30 therebetween. A gear .-38"secured"on an end of the shaft of roller 31 is operable to rotate the latter so as to move the mechanism downwardly and squeeze the tube 303andthereby:;extrude the tooth paste from said tube 30 while the latter is held and supportedatits neck iendz.

ward 'ends'which are adapteel to bepressedto- The link member 51 is of U shape as shown more clearly in Fig. 12 and is supported by its opposite legs on laterally spaced brackets 59.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided a tooth brush and tooth paste cabinet which, when closed, confines the paste and. tooth brush and: protects the same .against: dust and other foreign matter for sanitary purposes. It will also be seen that there has been provided an automatic mechanism for dispensing tooth pastetoonto thertoothbrush by the mere extension of the toothbrush-under the outlet end of a tooth pa'ste tubelx While various changes may be made in the detail construction',1itsha1lbe understood that such changes shall be'within the spirit and scope of claims.

gether to release and-permit-the insertion of or removal of the'tube, Fig.8!

A: pinion 45 is, journalled on the roller *mount 33*:inmesh" withgear 38; and is providedwith a finger-actuatedoperating wheel' i6 so that "the required slow movement of the operatingmech'a nismj29may begreaclily effected. The rollers -36 and '31 are 'intergeared -'as'-at l! "sothat 'both 'act On'th e tube to fee'dfthe tube operating mecha nism-29.;

Referring now particularly to Figs.-9"to 11, the pinion 45 'whicll'meshes -with gear 38 iSifiXed tO. a ratchet wheel lil v'vhich is operableloya .rackbar 49 lo'osely slidably mounted on the roller' mount 33" and projected forwardly and pressed into en-' gagement with ratchetwheel 48 bya' spring 55: The arrangement issuclrthat; when the 'bar 49 ispresse'd =rearwardly, it"turns' ratchet wheel48 to operate the rollers-36 'and 3l7and when .the bar 49' is released, itis'returned to'its forward positionby; spring. 50withbut turning and'by freelyratcheting past" the ratchet wheel 58:

Referring now' particularly to Figs; 12,13 and 14,; there isshown a modified'form of tube-operating mechanism'Wherein tooth brush 38'" can be used-to'effe'ctthe 'operation'of the mechanism. Instead ofusing a horizontally extending rack; as' in-the operating mechanism shown in Figs; 9'j to 11, a=vertically extending. rack 52'is-used. This'ra'ck is vertically slidable' in vertically spaced guides 53 and 5'4 and'is retained against ratchet wheel 48"by a spring 555 A- linkage comprising a; long;-link5B-'and a short link 5'! pivotaly connected together at 58 extends between a bracket support 59'-and therack'52; The connection of the link"56' witli the rack is made by a pin 6|. A springfilacts'between" the pin 58'and the'back wallfl 5 to'urge the links 56 and 51 forwardly with a-support 63for the toothbrush 39'; By placing the toothbrush-'30 on the support fiS and thrusting the same rearwardly,-the' rack 52 is elevated and'the ratchet wheel-"48 is turned-wherebyto cause the rollers 36 and 31! to be operated upon the upper end of the tooth paste tube 352' Paste will accordingly, be laid upon the tooth brush so that as the-to0th brush is taken away, itwill be automatically provided with the paste;

What 'I claim is:

1. In a toilet kit having a back wall, a device for holding a=tube of to'oth paste:in aninverted position and-'operablefor extruding thelpastefrom the tube,- compr-ising a-vertically-elongated guide plate fixed to saidback wall having its-longitu dinal edges ofiset' forwardly to-- provide= guide flanges, a U -shaped ro1ler mount havinga pair of extrudingrollers--journa1led-therein;said-guide plate having a forwardly projecting -=tube-supporting plate at itslower end provided with an opening to receive the neck of the-tube'with' the closed end or the -'latter-'frictionallyengaged -=between said rollers; aslide fixed to said-roller mount; and engaging th guide l flanges of the guide plate to slidably guide the roller mountfor adapted to be movedoby'pressure applied'theree against to operate said rack and rotate said rollers, a second linkage connectingsaidfirstv linkage to.the back wall, and means for normallyholdin'g said linkage in inoperative position,

2. In a toilet kit, a cabinet 'having a back wall, front covers'adapted to be extendedoverthe front of the back wall and to be opened :laterally 'to provide access. to the cabinet,.a guide'member fixed to the back wall, a tube operating mechanism slidably connected to the guide memberyand adapted to receive a tube, said operatingmecha nism including rollers betweenwhich the tube' is extended; a gear transmission-for the rollers'with a ratchet wheel, arack operable upon the ratchet wheel, a first linkage-depending from-the rack and having a brush support thereon; a second linkage connecting'said first linkage to the back wall biasing means tending to'keep-the-brushsupport extended, said support lyin below the'outlet ofthe tube whereby -as the brush is inserted on the support and moved inwardly,'tooth paste will be'dispensed from the tube; and a clamp arrangement for fixing the lower end of the tube.

3. In a toiletkit having aback-wall, a device for holding a tube of toothpaste in an'inverted position and operable for" extruding the paste from the tube comprising an elongated vertically extending guide plate fixed -ito. said ibacki wall; a

- roller mount, a pair 1 of. extruding' rollers iJournalled in said roller mount, a tube supporting plate at the lower: end of: "said guidex plate. pro- 5 vided with an opening to receive the neck of the tube with the closed end of said tube frictionally engaged intermediate said rollers, a slide connected to said roller mount and movable on said guide plate, a, gear transmission connected to said rollers including a ratchet wheel, a movable rack engaging said ratchet wheel, a linkage connected to said rack, a brush support connected to said first linkage and adapted to be moved by pressure applied thereagainst to operate said rack and rotate said rollers, a second linkage connecting said first linkage to the back Wall and means for normally holding said linkage in inoperative position.

VICTOR MECZELSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Smart -Oc't. 12, 1915 Stromberg May 10, 1921 Aiken Jan. 2, 1923 Sharpe Nov. 4, 1924 Garris June 23, 1925 Bishop et a1 Jan. 29, 1929 Winsor Oct. 7, 1930 Faber Sept. 6, 1932 Robinson Nov. 15, 1932 Lee June 6, 1933 Spires -1 May 21, 1935 Crumm -1 Nov. 10, 1936 Dolan, 2nd Nov. 19, 1946 Waiters Apr. 5, 1946 

